NB This article was written for our June 07 Out of the Blue - Men's Cancer Campaign
Tom is a keen footballer and was first diagnosed with testicular cancer (teratoma) last November (06).
“I never had a lump or anything similar” says Tom. “Things just felt different with one side, harder than the other. I noticed it particularly after playing football. I went to the GP who sent me home saying it was probably football related. She told me to come back if it didn’t improve. Well, it didn’t. By a couple of weeks later I had started to get back ache and an uncomfortable feeling in my lower abdomen. It was after the second trip to the GP that things really happened - and happened very quickly. It was scary.
“I was referred to a specialist urologist immediately and he carried out an ultrasound scan. This showed up a hard mass in one of my testicles and indicated it had spread to my lymph nodes. The specialist told me it was almost certainly cancer and that it had spread; but told me, that was the bad news and the good news was that it was now going to be dealt with.
“Within days I had a whole body CT scan which confirmed the diagnosis and showed the degree to which it had spread. It was the lymph nodes which gave the pain and I understand that often those are the symptoms which take people to the GP in the first place. That was on a Tuesday; I had surgery two days later. It really did all happen so fast. The surgery would have been the end of it had it not been for the spread to the lymph nodes which meant I then had to have 9 weeks of chemotherapy. Being told you're about to have chemotherapy isn't good. I was apprehensive and worried about what was about to happen.
“One of the things I am grateful for is the fantastic treatment I received on the teenage cancer unit at Weston Park Hospital. You don’t usually think of cancer as a young person’s thing but luckily this unit exists (thanks to the Cancer Appeal) and addresses the needs of younger people whilst having treatment. It’s more relaxed and the doctors and nurses manage to make a very unpleasant experience more bearable. It really brought it home to me seeing youngsters of 16 there, but it was good to know we were all in the best place possible.
“I had to address other things as well. Before the chemotherapy I went to the Jessop Wing to bank my sperm, which is a much more degrading experience than I ever thought! They also make you sign forms about what should happen in the event of your death, which really was sobering. The chemotherapy certainly knocks out your fertility short term. Usually it returns OK but that is not guaranteed so the sperm banking is a precaution. I am due back for a test in the next few months to see what has happened.
“My urologist told me that the cancer had probably been there about two months – so when I first went to the doctor it had probably been there a few weeks. What’s so shocking is how quickly it grew.
“I know statistically the outlook for the future is good. There has been so much progress in treatment for testicular cancer. I have completed my treatment now and, as I have said, I’m in remission but it all happened so quickly. I am still coming to terms with it and don’t really know how I feel right now.
“My wife Emma has been with me every step of the way. She was clearly devastated by the diagnosis, but was strong enough to listen to the specialists and make notes to know exactly what would be happening. It was too much for me to take in by myself, so it was helpful to have Emma to listen to the specialists too. We did wonder whether we would have to postpone our wedding but as it happened we didn’t and we were married just weeks after I’d finished my chemotherapy. I even had a bit of hair growth for the photos! We’ve just come back from honeymoon and moved house as well, so both feel like we're now starting a new chapter together.
I’m even back at work too. Irwin Mitchell have been great, giving me all the time off that I need, letting me work from home – if I want to; and sorting out critical illness insurance cover. I am now trying to get back to a normal routine and working is clearly part of that.
Having had cancer has changed me and it has made me re-examine the priorities in life. I realise now that certain things are more important than others, but I now just want to be get back to a "normal" life. Right now it’s too early to say when, if ever, I will feel ‘in the clear’ but hopefully in time "cancer" will be just a small episode in my life, rather than its defining moment.”
